🇸🇪Week of November 2

Sverigedemokraterna leader Jimmie Åkesson reversed his party's position on government participation, saying at a press conference in Sölvesborg that SD is dropping its demand for ministerial posts so that a centre-right government can be formed. "I have landed in that this is a good path for the Sweden Democrats, and in the longer run a good path for Sweden," Åkesson said.1

Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson welcomed the announcement, according to Dagens Nyheter's direct report. The Centre Party's reaction was sharp: an Expressen source said the news "landed like a bomb," while DI wrote that C can now "find its way home."23

The shift removes the obstacle that had blocked a bourgeois government resting on SD support without SD ministers. Åkesson framed the concession as a strategic choice for his party rather than a retreat from influence over policy.1

The announcement landed in the middle of Sweden's unresolved government formation, which had run for weeks after the election with the Social Democrats' Magdalena Andersson at the centre of the deadlock. DI also reported that Andersson had returned to the lead on the prediction market Polymarket.245

19-åring åtalas för förberedelse till terroristbrott (SVT Nyheter).1

Attributed claim: SVT Nyheter: En 19-årig man har på fredagen åtalats för förberedelse till terroristbrott, uppger Åklagarmyndigheten i ett pressmeddelande.2

US markets turned sharply lower on Thursday afternoon after Wednesday's election gains, and the drop carried into Stockholm. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index fell 5.5 percent, with steep losses among the big American technology companies.1

The Stockholm exchange opened in the red and fell broadly. Elin Benjaminsson, a market strategist at Avanza, said a simple explanation was hard to find: "It is difficult to find a simple explanation."12

Technology shares fell in chaotic trading on exchanges around the world, and the selloff began on Wall Street. Swedish outlets described the session as a new AI rout and reported a sense of panic in the market.32

Not every stock moved with the index: Placera reported that companies which had just delivered strong earnings were surging even as the broader market fell.2

Several aircraft in Europe were diverted or forced to land on Thursday after bomb threats, including a flight from Helsinki to Rome. No explosives had been found on the threatened aircraft by Thursday.12

Expressen reported that four planes were threatened and had to make emergency landings, describing a new wave of bomb threats against several aircraft.34

A school in Nyköping was evacuated after a threat, the same day the aviation threats were reported.56

A researcher told Sveriges Radio that bomb threats against aviation exploit weaknesses in Europe, and an expert said the threats were "probably not a coincidence." Expressen carried a warning of "chaos" after the threats.768

The Swedish government has activated the high-cost protection scheme for electricity as prices surge, with support directed to southern Sweden. Energy Minister Ebba Busch said the electricity support for October will be paid out later than planned.123

Busch described the situation as Sweden's second energy crisis in four years. The government's activation of the scheme follows the sharp rise in electricity prices.41

An expert said high electricity prices could become the rule this winter rather than the exception.5

A Swedish court sentenced Sebastian Raducanu, 21, to life in prison for the murder in Tolered on Hisingen, where the victim was shot eight times in the head. Göteborgs-Posten reported that the prosecutor called the killing a "pure execution" and that four men were convicted after the brutal gang murder.12

Three other men were convicted alongside Raducanu. Göteborgs-Posten named them as Ahmed Hilowle, Omran Abdellah and Anas Akil Ali, and reported that Raducanu held the weapon while the three were his accomplices.34

Attributed claim: Accounts differ on how many shots were fired. Aftonbladet and Göteborgs-Posten reported eight shots to the head, while Omni's headline said Raducanu shot a 35-year-old with eleven shots in Tolered and was sentenced to prison.125

SAS confirmed that threats were made against aircraft in the air, and two planes were affected. A masked police officer was on board one of the stopped aircraft, and the planes were halted after the threat.123

By Thursday, no explosives had been found on the aircraft that were bomb-threatened.4

Attributed claim: Expressen reported a threat against two planes, while Dagens Nyheter and TV4 Nyheterna described threats against SAS aircraft in flight and a plane stopped after the threat. Dagens Medicin and ETC.se reported the threats against SAS planes as unconfirmed information.31256

The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, was hacked and its assets frozen, in what Swedish outlets describe as the largest attack of its kind against a crypto giant. Customers withdrew 30 billion kronor from the exchange after the theft.12

The FBI points to North Korea for the attack on Binance. North Koreans have been singled out in connection with the theft, and the record heist is described as shaking confidence in crypto.34

Binance has resumed withdrawals after the crypto theft.5

Expressen reports that Elon Musk mocked the exchange over the theft.6

Russia has formally pulled out of the European Convention against Torture, Aftonbladet reported, citing The Kyiv Independent. The withdrawal was carried in Swedish outlets alongside the war in Ukraine coverage on Monday.12

Russian forces attacked Ukraine's electricity infrastructure, Sveriges Radio reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said many people were left without power after the overnight strikes, according to Dagens Nyheter.34

Blekinge Läns Tidning's editorial described the war in Ukraine as the biggest sore point of our time. The paper's leader page ran the line as the attacks and the treaty withdrawal were reported the same day.5